It Pays to Have a Plan

Relying that your employer will keep you till you retire, is not a plan.

Paying for what you have, instead of buying what you want, is a good idea.

If you have a hobby, can you turn your love into a business, if the 8-5 fails?

What you need versus what you want, most of us have more than we need.

I was lucky, I love guns and shooting, and have been an Instructor for going on 20 years, so I worked during the week and trained on weekends, using the training money for guns, & ammo a few extras. Then 2 years ago when the job ended after 27 years (same building under 3 owners) I mourned for all of one day, and went on to figure out how to expand the training, to pay the bills. I had found the house I wanted in 1993, and paid it off in 2008, cars were all paid for.
Never spent a day looking for a job, and never collected a dime of unemployment, I make about a third of what I did when I was hitting the time clock.

I had a fellow take a class this weekend, he had been here about 4 years ago, when we used the classroom in the house, and the range wasn't more than a 10 foot mound of dirt about 20 feet wide, he said you've come a long way since I was here last, it's really nice. I did feel a bit of pride when I replied "Thank you, and it's paid for too.

But life is better now, it is not about chasing the mighty dollar everyday, it's about doing things that make you happy, that you enjoy, and if you make enough for something extra, that's just icing on the cake.